Crypt
A crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics. Originally crypts were typically found below the main apse of a church, such as at the Abbey of Saint-Germain en Auxerre, but were later located beneath chancel, naves and transepts as well. Occasionally churches were raised high to accommodate a crypt at the ground level, such as St Michael's Church in Hildesheim, Germany. The vampire Count Yorga, maintained a basement crypt underneath his mansion home in Los Angeles, California. It was here that the kept the coffins of his vampire brides, including Erica Landers. Yorga's valet, Brudah, often did menial labor in the crypt. Count Yorga, Vampire Another crypt was found beneath the Psychical Examination and Research Group manor house in Croxley Heath in London, England. The house served as a cover and the base of operations for a cult put together by the vampire lord, Dracula. Priestess and cult leader, Chin Yang, conducted Satanic rituals in the crypt, and it was also where several vampire coffins were located. Scotland Yard inspectors Murray and Torrence, along with Jessica Van Helsing, raided the crypt in search of a missing colleague named Jane. They arrived too late, for Jane had already been turned into a vampire. Though chained to the wall of the crypt, Jane was still dangerous and attacked Jessica. Inspector Murray intervened and drove a wooden stake into Jane's heart. Satanic Rites of Dracula, The The Collins family mausoleum was a large burial tomb in a privately owned cemetery in Collinsport, Maine. The façade of the mausoleum boasted a large pediment engraved with the name Collins upon it, set between two carvings of the Madonna . A large iron gate opened into a small chamber containing a steep set of stone steps leading downward into a larger burial vault. Two large coffins rested deep inside the mausoleum’s inner recesses. Upon one of the walls was a stone relief of a dove and another of a lion. The lion held an iron ring in its mouth, which was actually a trigger to open a door leading into a lower secret chamber. Inside this secondary vault was an ancient coffin, wrapped in chains, containing the body of the vampire, Barnabas Collins. Barnabas’ body had remained sealed inside the hidden chamber since 1797. In June of 1970, Willie Loomis, a handyman working for the Collins family, discovered a doggerel with a riddle describing the secret chamber. Believing it to be the resting place of the Collins family jewels, Willie broke into the chamber and awakened Barnabas Collins. A short time later, Barnabas attacked and eventually murdered his cousin, Carolyn Stoddard. Her body was laid to rest at the Collins family mausoleum. Carolyn’s fiancé, Todd Blake returned to the tomb the night of her funeral and discovered that Carolyn had risen as a vampire. She attacked him, drinking his blood and leaving him stumbling about in a daze. House of Dark Shadows Crypts of note References Category:Count Dracula (1970)/Miscellaneous Category:Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)/Miscellaneous Category:Dracula (1958)/Miscellaneous Category:Nosferatu (1922)/Miscellaneous Category:Satanic Rites of Dracula, The (1973)/Miscellaneous